Caught on camera: Mumbai youth who molested woman in train arrested

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) officials identified the accused, Pappu Yadav, with the help of CCTV camera footage. The police said Yadav was drunk when he was arrested and the officials found a liquor bottle and packets of condoms from him.

A 19-year-old man has been arrested from Grant Road for allegedly molesting a 22-year-old management student in a local train last week.

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) officials identified the accused, Pappu Yadav, with the help of CCTV camera footage. The police said Yadav was drunk when he was arrested and the officials found a liquor bottle and packets of condoms from him.

On August 4, the woman was travelling alone in the second class women’s coach adjoining the motorman’s cabin to Churchgate from Malad. When her train reached Grant Road station, a drunk man – wearing a blue T-shirt and shorts – entered the compartment and allegedly molested her. He alighted when the train approached Charni Road. There was no policeman in the compartment at the time.

“We scanned the CCTV footage of all stations between Mahalaxmi and Charni Road stations and identified him. During investigation, we found out that he had been spotted near Grant Road station,” said Anand Jha, senior divisional security commissioner of RPF, Western Railway.

According to the police, Yadav, who is from Baleswar in Orissa, would frequently visit the red-light area, Kamathipura. He had returned from his native a place a day before the incident.

Yadav told the police he worked as a waiter at a restaurant in Fort for around a year and would sleep on a footpath nearby. After the eatery shut down, he went back to his village a month ago. “After getting off the train on Thursday, he returned to the footpath in Fort and went off to sleep,” said Jha. While Yadav has no previous crime history, the police have sought details from the Orissa police.